Unwept, Unhonored, Unsung
by Zaydasky
Summary: House's secret life crashes down on him and has a profound effect on his relationship with Cuddy
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the sand box, I'm just playing with the toys.

This story is based on the poem by Sir Walter Scott

Breathes there the man with soul so dead  
Who never to himself hath said,  
This is my own, my native land!  
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,  
As home his footsteps he hath turned  
From wandering on a foreign strand!  
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;  
For him no minstrel raptures swell;  
High though his titles, proud his name,  
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim  
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,  
The wretch, concentred all in self,  
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,  
And, doubly dying, shall go down  
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,  
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.

-The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Sir Walter Scott

**PROLOGUE**

She faced her desk away from the window precisely because she loved it. The view always intoxicated her. The bustle, the flow, the feel of life being lived mere feet away attracted her in way she found hard to quantify. She was the omniscient observer of the natural order; it was a drug that pulled constantly at her attention. With her back to the tug and pull of nature (albeit the urban version), she could focus on the mundane and often troubling aspect of running a hospital, especially a hospital that contained Gregory House, her other distraction.

She rarely let her mind drift to thoughts of him more than she had to. He was magnetic, even on paper. His caustic personality and sheer genius generated more paperwork, hassles, headaches and long evenings than the rest of the hospital combined. Tired and frustrated with his insane requests and upset patients, she questioned once again why she kept him around. But she knew. It was not his medical abilities and by no stretch of the imagination was it because patients loved it him. It was because she did.

One of House's patients had overheard him berate her for something (she couldn't remember what it had been about now) and later questioned her judgment, insinuating that she must've been abused at some point in her life to take that kind of treatment from House. She wished it was that simple.

Over the years he had managed to insinuate himself into almost every aspect of her life. Even his mocking had an intimacy to it simply for the fact that he knew exactly which of her buttons to push. Of course he sometimes took things to far, genuinely hurt her and drove knives into her heart but she chose to put that aside in exchange for the moments in between where he made her happy. Maybe she was damaged because those moments were worth it to her.

Or they had been. She'd always thought that the bond they shared was special. They hurt each other but they were also privy to each other secrets and fears and that meant something to her but he'd shown today how little he really thought of her. Today was the day she found out about the secret life he'd been living. He wasn't the cryptically open book she'd always thought he was. He was a liar to her, to Wilson, to his team, to Stacey.

She turned to the window to watch the people outside and mourn the death of the what she thought she had.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I just wanted to thank everyone for the kind reviews! I appreciate the support!

The flashing blues and reds cast an eerie glow over the barred store fronts and cinder block alleys. The seering wail of the sirens filled the still night air and called onlookers to the deserted street. The crash had been bad. The vehicles barely recognizable and both sporting ominous streaks of blood on what was left of the windows. A silent black bag lay off to one side as EMTs struggled to breach the battered shell left in the other car.

The sun was just rising in the winter sky when the metal and glass finally twisted apart to reveal the life within the damaged cocoon of the SUV. She was conscious but just barely. They kept talking to her, trying to keep her engaged and awake as they pulled her out and began working feverishly over her. When she was stable enough they loaded her into the ambulance.

"Miss, we headed to the hospital now. We're going to take you to Mercy. We'll be there soon." The EMTs voice cut through the fog she found herself stuck in.

"No," she croaked. "We have to go to Princeton-Plainsboro."

"Miss, you are losing a lot of blood. We need to get you to the closest hospital and that's Mercy," he tried to argue.

"You don't understand. My father is a doctor there. We have to go there." Her voice was weak but the paramedic could see the steel in her gaze and he gave in. It was the patient's right to choose their care and he could see there would be no convincing her that Mercy was the better choice.

"Ok," he said giving in. He instructed the other medic to tell the driver to go to PPTH.

HHHHHHHHHHH

"24 year old female in a motor vehicle accident. Possible concussion. compound fracture of left ulna and radius, possible fracture of right femur. Multiple lacerations concentrated on the left side of the body. Patient conscious and responsive at the scene but lost consciousness during loading. IV fluids pushed in the abulence."

She could hear the doctors and nurses bustling around here. Their voices far away but she knew they were talking about here. She could feel them hovering over her, working on her as she fought against the gray cloud she was stuck in.

Then slowly the fog began to lift and a voice cut through the mist. "Sweetie, can you open your eyes for me?" As she opened her eyes, the scrub clad visage of the ER nurse came into view.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice scratchy and raw.

"You're at the hospital. Can you tell me your name honey?"

In a moment of unbridled terror, she realized that she didn't know. Her eyes widened and she felt the panic welling up inside. And then it all came back to her. "Anna. My name is Anna. Which hospital am I at?"

"You're at Princeton-Plainsboro. You were in a terrible car accident but we are getting you all fixed up. The doctor is running some tests right now. Is there someone we can call for you sugar?"

The nurse's kindly manner put Anna at ease and she wanted to tell the nurse so badly to call her father when a cop came into the tiny, curtained off area. "I'm sorry but I need to speak with Ms...?"

"Patterson. Anna Patterson." Her head began to throb with the thought of the coming interview. Or perhaps it was the concussion.

The officer pulled up the chair next to her bed and she began to tell her story. She told of the last minute decision to visit her father on the three day weekend she had off work, the drive down from New York and the narrow city street where a drunk driver came careening out of an alley and smashed into her SUV sending it flying. Her eyes were wide and watery as she finished and the policeman put away his notebook. He hated drunk drivers.

After the officer left, another nurse came in. "They're finished with all the tests and the doctor will be in to see you again soon. Can we call some one for you while you wait?"

"Yes," she answered softly. "Can you call my father? He's a doctor here. His name is Greg House."

The stunned look on the nurse's face as she left to page Princeton-Plainsboro's most notorious doctor said far more than words could have.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: This chapter is quite a bit longer than usual. There is some medical dialogue so there may be some inaccuracies. As always I own nothing but my imagination

When you spend as much time in a place as the doctors, nurses, and staff at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, you develop a sense of family and no family is complete without its share of drama and gossip. Thus it was no surprise that the news about a woman in the ER claiming to be Dr. House's daughter made the rounds at lightening speed. It spread so quickly in fact that by the time the nurse paged House and he limped down to the ER he had an audience watching surreptitiously from every angle.

House pulled the curtain shut, fully aware of the eyes on him. The curtain would give them a semblance of privacy although it would do nothing for them if someone was determined to eavesdrop.

He looked through tired eyes at the woman, girl really, on the bed before him. When they'd paged him they hadn't given him much information, just that someone claiming to be his daughter was in the hospital. Her faced was bruised and cut from the glass and airbags of her car and she was clearly in pain but looking at her all he could see was the 6 year old he still thought of her as smiling up at him.

"Your face meet the pavement?" he asked, pulling the rolling stool up to her bedside.

"Absolutely. I was cruising around and thought 'hey I don't get to go the hospital enough. I think I'll take a nose dive into another car and maybe I'll get lucky'." Her words carried a sarcastic edge House recognized from himself but her eyes held a humor his all too rarely did.

"Glad you had plan. So what really happened?" His sharp eyes did not miss her momentary hesitation and he filed that away to examine later.

"I was coming to surprise you," she said, her voice dropping as she became aware of the bustle of the ER around her. "I had a couple extra days off from work this week and I thought it might be nice to spend some time with you. I don't remember too much from the accident. Just lights coming toward me but the paramedics told me that I was hit by a drunk driver."

"You got your wish then then because from the looks of you, you aren't going to be leaving the hospital anytime soon. You were being-"

"An idiot for driving anywhere at this time of night and I should be more careful," Anna interrupted. "I know, Dad but I couldn't sleep and I really wanted to see you. What's the point of going to school so close to you if I can't see my father when I want to?" She smiled at him and he couldn't argue with her. She was the one person in the world whose smile could make him forget all his logic.

The ER doctor chose that moment to make his appearance. He was a tall, thin man whom House didn't know well. Not that he made an effort to know any of the ER staff. The doctor eyed House before directing his attention to Ann aa. "Well Miss Patterson, it looks like you are going to be with us for a few days. The compound fracture of your forearm is going to require surgery. We are putting you on the OR schedule and you should be in surgery in a few hours."

"Thank you, doctor," Anna said.

"Yes, thank you doctor," House sneered after her.

"Hey be nice. I'm in pain over here and he's got the meds." Her voice, though strained from effort of ignoring all her aches, was mild and teasing and he smiled back at her.

That was one of the many things House adored about his daughter. She, unlike him, seemed to find happiness easily. Even as a child, she seemed to him to radiate light in a way he found fascinating. He'd never wanted children and had always been careful about protecting against them but from the moment he met Anna his fear and insecurity about his own failings paled in comparison to the life she brought him. Which is not to say he never questioned himself, but she'd always been so confident, so vivacious that her spirit overshadowed the darkness in him.

He sat silently by her bed holding her hand until she fell asleep, the morphine doing its job. He watched her for what seemed like hours until the nurses came to get her for surgery and as they wheeled her away he couldn't help but be the tiniest bit afraid for her.

HHHHHHHHHH

House's team, having been busy with tests on their current patient all night, didn't hear about the events in the ER until Anna was well into her surgery. Foreman had gone looking for House when his pages weren't answered and House's motorcycle was still parked in the handicapped spot. He finally found House watching the surgery from the observation room high above the OR.

"Why aren't you answering your pages and why are you here? This isn't even our patient." Foreman's annoyed tone grated House's nerves.

"Is the patient dead?" House asked not bothering to look at him.

"No, but-"

"Then he can wait," House interrupted.

"No he can't. His O2 stats are dropping and pulmonary edema is going to become a real issue," Foreman urged.

"Then deal with it yourself," House snapped. "You're a doctor aren't you? Or is that white coat a Halloween costume?"

"House-"

"Get out." Foreman finally heard the steel in House's voice and he knew better than to argue. Frustrated and angry, he couldn't understand why House would choose to watch what appeared to be a routine orthopedic repair when their patient could die.

HHHHHHHHHH

Two hours later Anna was out of surgery and in her own room. She was still unconscious and House was still by her bed holding her hand, when Cuddy walked in. She had come into the room prepared to do battle. Foreman had pounced on her the moment she walked through the door complaining that House had blown off their patient.

She stopped just inside the door. She almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. The great Dr Gregory House, terror of PPTH, tormentor of all, was sound asleep in the startlingly uncomfortable visitor's chair holding the hand of a patient.

Her heels clicked softly on the tile floor as she made her way over to her wayward doctor. "House," she called softly not wanting to disturb the woman in the bed. "House, wake up."

His bleary eyes opened slowly. "Oh good, the Wicked Witch woke me up. Its not like I need sleep or anything." He kept his voice low even as he stood and made his way to the door.

Once outside the room and the door firmly shut he stopped tempering his voice. "What do you want? I'm busy"

Hands on her hips, she met his stance. "Yes I can see that. You are ignoring your patient who's dying to hold the hand of what I can only assume is one of your hookers."

"You're insane if you think I'd hold the hand of a hooker. You don't know where those things have been." His words had there usual sting but lacked the vigor he normally infused in them.

"Fine. She's not a hooker. Who is she House?" Cuddy was quickly losing patience with his antics.

His tired eyes bore into her's for a moment and he seemed to reach a decision. "She's my daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hi all. Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up. It was hard to write because I have a hard time hearing Cuddy in my head. Hope you all enjoy and please feel free to review. I appreciate all the wonderful comments I've gotten so far! Enjoy!

The world seemed to stop. Cuddy was frozen. Disbelief, anger, betrayal and shock flashed through her. She had know House for more than 20 years and he had a grown daughter she had never heard of. It was almost incomprehensible. She'd known that he didn't always tell her the truth about everything, especially his past but he'd told her the important things. Or so she assumed. When they'd started dating she hadn't expected to open up to her like he had. It hadn't been much at first but as the months passed he'd let her in to his world in ways she knew he hadn't let anyone before, not even Stacey. That he'd kept a secret this huge from her felt like a rejection of everything she thought they had.

Time seemed to start up again as the shock spread over her face. She wanted so badly to believe that this was another one of his tricks, just a ploy to get to her but from the intensity in his piercing blue eyes she could tell that her was serious. Without another word she turned on her heel and marched away.

House watched her until she disappeared around a corner, half hoping she would look back at him but she never so much as wavered in her forward march. He knew that this was going to end badly. She looked so hurt, so betrayed when he told her. He'd never seen that expression cross her face before and a small tingle of fear ran through him. He'd always known that he'd do something to screw up their relationship but a small part of him hoped that if she hadn't tossed him to the curb by now maybe she never would. A vain hope it seemed. He turned back into the room comforted by the sound of the slow, steady breathing of his daughter.

HHHHHHHHHH

Lisa Cuddy was rarely one to be at a loss. She was the person that everyone turned to when there was a problem to be solved or a crisis that needed averting but the situation with House had her beat. She wanted to yell, scream at him. She wanted to hit him over and over asking how he could keep something like this from her. She wanted cry and wallow in the hurt. But she did none of those things. Instead, she finished her budget reports, kept her appointments and attended a board meeting. She kept up the facade and managed to fool everyone into not noticing that she was falling apart.

Throughout the day she'd kept discreet tabs on House and on Anna. She knew that he'd talked to his team about their patient, that they'd finally come to a diagnosis, and he'd left Anna's room only twice. She also knew that Anna was doing much better. She'd woken up from the anesthesia a few hours after she'd visited House and that the surgeon was only going to keep her for a few days.

As it got closer to the time for her to leave, she wondered if House would come home for the night. He'd stayed at the hospital the last two nights with his team and with Anna and she knew that sleeping on chairs and couches like that was hard on his leg. He hadn't said sought her out after their confrontation outside of Anna's room and if she was honest with herself, she'd avoided him too, but home would be another story. They both lived there so there was only so much space they could give each other there.

His motorcycle was in the driveway when she pulled up at quarter to seven. She gathered her things and slowly walked to the door. She wasn't sure what kind of reception she would get when she went in and she still didn't know what to say to him. She was having a hard time sorting out her feelings even to herself and she had no idea where to begin with House.

The sight that greeted was not one she expected. House was sprawled out on the couch sound asleep, Rachel tucked into the crook of his arm. She had his shirt clenched tightly in one of her tiny fists and Cuddy could see where House's shirt was damp from Rachel's tears. She quietly set her keys and purse down and walked over the couch, marveling at how natural he looked with Rachel and a pang went through her. She wondered if he'd done this with Anna and it hurt her that she didn't know.

House slowly came back to consciousness. "What are you looking at?" he growled softly, not bothering to open his eyes.

"You," she replied. "Where's Maira?"

"Rachel had a rough day. I sent her home." His tone was still soft so as not to wake Rachel.

"Oh. Does she have a fever?" Cuddy asked, bushing the hair off Rachel's forehead.

"No. Maira said she just kept asking you and me all day. She was just being clingy I guess." He finally opened his eyes and sought hers. He could see the pain in them and a very small part of him felt bad.

"Oh. You eaten?" She asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Its killing you isn't it?" He watched her closely as she stopped but did not turn around.

She tried to control her breathing, hoping that would give her some control. Her voice was soft but she still didn't turn toward him. "Why aren't you at the hospital with her?"

"You didn't answer my question." He watched as she turned and her eyes finally met his.

"You didn't answer mine." She held his steady gaze.

"I asked you first." He watched as she broke eye contact.

"I'm not going to discuss this with you with Rachel here." She knew it was

a flimsy excuse even as she gave it but it was all she had.

He sat up slowly, carefully adjusting Rachel. He stood up, limped to Rachel's room laid her in her crib, and covered her with her favorite blanket. He brought the baby monitor back with him so that Cuddy couldn't use checking on Rachel as an excuse to stop the painful discussion he knew they had to have.

She hadn't left her spot in the doorway when he returned. He took his time getting comfortable on the couch, conscious of her eyes him. He sat back and held her gaze for a moment. "I'm not there because her boyfriend showed up and I wanted to sleep in a bed tonight."

"Tell me why," demanded. She didn't want to play cat and mouse, she just wanted answers.

He sighed. "Its a long story and not a pretty one."

"I need to hear it, House. You hurt me and I need to know why."

"I know you do," he said so softly that she almost didn't hear him. "I owe you that."

His words shocked her. House never admitted to anything, let alone an emotional responsibility. She could see the pain on his face. Whatever he was about to tell her was obviously deeply emotional. She sat next to him on the couch and touched his shoulder. "I'm ready, House. I want to hear it."

He let out a small bark of laughter. "I'm not. But I will tell you," he said, turning to her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hi all. This chapter kinda got away from me and now this story is going in a direction I hadn't intended. Thank you all for your kind reviews and I hope you enjoy what comes next!

"If I'm going to do this there are some ground rules. One: Don't ask questions until I finish. Two: no judgments. Can you live with that?" he asked, half hoping she would say no and they could just go to bed.

"Just tell me, House," she said quietly.

He took a deep breath and sighed. "When I was repeating my last year of med school, I met a woman. We met at the hospital. She was a med student too and we hit it off. And by that I mean sex and a lot of it."

Cuddy smiled. That was so typically House. She was watching him closely and now he had that far away look in his eye, like he was seeing something beyond her. His voice was soft as he continued and she almost had to lean forward to hear him.

"We didn't do a lot of talking. We were both under so much pressure that we just used each other for sex. When we graduated, I went to do my residency and she left to do hers. I never really thought about her after that. It was just a fling but six years later she found me again." He paused and this time he really looked at her, his brilliant blue eyes burning with intensity.

"She came to tell me that I had daughter I knew nothing about. She told me that Anna was dying from metabolic liver disease. She'd been tested but she wasn't a match for a liver transplant and neither was anyone in her family. She demanded that I get tested. At the time I was so shocked and angry that she'd kept all that from me I didn't want to do it." He looked down ashamed of himself. It was so long ago but the guilt he carried from that time would never go away.

Cuddy wanted so badly to take him in her arms at that moment but she knew she had to keep her distance and let him finish. He looked so broken. This was a side of House she'd never seen before.

"Greg," she said gently. She rarely called him by his first name but she could see how much telling this story was effecting him and she wanted to let him know she recognized the intimacy of it.

He glanced at her concerned face and somehow gathered the strength to go on. "Beverly, Anna's mother was furious. She screamed at me that I was killing a child and I...I said some pretty nasty things to her too. After she left, it took me two days to calm down but when I finally did, I thought about what she'd told me and I have to admit I wanted to meet this kid who shared my DNA. Anna was at Beth Israel in New York, but it took me four hours to drive there because I drove so slowly. I waited for Beverly to leave the room before I went in. She was just the tiniest thing laying in that big bed. She was sleeping and I just stood there looking at her. She was just beautiful. Beverly came back from wherever she'd gone and that's when Anna woke up.

"She opened her eyes and I can't describe it to you. It was like the sun was shining out of her face. The room just lit up and I...I knew then that I would do anything for her. So I got tested and I was a match. I told Beverly I would only donate to Anna if she let me have visitation. She wasn't happy about it but what could she do?" He let out a small laugh at his victory before he continued.

"We did the surgery and it went well. I have to hand it to Beverly though. She did keep her word. She let me have visitation but only as much as she had to. With her and Anna living in New York and me here it was hard. Bev never let me keep her overnight so I only got to see her when I had time to go to New York for the day." He stopped again, catching Cuddy's eye. "But I was there for her, Cuddy. I went to every school play, I was there for soccer games and graduation. I made sure she knew I was there for her. Now that she's older I see her more. Her mom moved to Illinois after Anna went to college and Anna's always chosen schools around here."

Cuddy could hear the pride in his voice in that last bit and it made her smile. Who would have thought that the famously obnoxious Dr House would be a doting daddy. She had questions though. "Why didn't you tell anyone about her, House? Why didn't you tell _me_ about her?"

He had the decency to look at least a little ashamed. "You won't like the answer."

"Its important, House. I need to understand why you kept something this huge from me. We've been living together for almost a year and you never let on you had a daughter. You never-" She'd been trying so hard to keep her emotions in check but she was so overwhelmed she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

House looked at her unsure of what to do. He knew he should comfort her, put his arm around her but he was afraid that she would push him away. So he gave her the only comfort he could and he began to speak.

"I wanted to tell you. But I'm selfish. I like having Anna to myself and I didn't want to share my relationship with her with anyone one else." He surreptitiously watched her, trying to gauge her reaction.

Cuddy didn't know what to say. House was being more honest with her than she ever thought he could be but his confession still hurt. "I don't know what to say, House. Did you think that telling me you had a kid would hurt your relationship with her? That I would damage it? What?" She was starting to get worked up and she could feel the tears begin to fall in earnest.

House had the decency to look ashamed. "I don't know. I guess I thought you'd want to meet her or something."

"You thought I'd want to meeet her?" she screeched. "Of course I'd want to meet her! She's a part of you and god help me, I love you so of course I'd want to meet her! Why is that so terrible?"

"I told you. I'm selfish. I like my relationship with her. I like how she sees me." He was trying valiantly to explain to her but he could tell he was failing miserably.

"Oh? And how does she see you, House" Cuddy asked sarcastically.

"She sees me as her dad. I'm not House. I'm not a doctor. I'm not the miserable son of bitch I am. I am just 'Dad'. She doesn't care how screwed up I am or what a bastard I am because she doesn't know that part of me. To her I'm the guy who loves her unconditionally, who shows up, who is there for her and I like that! I didn't want her to see the other side, the side that you see!" House almost screamed.

Cuddy had never seen him this worked up before and it scared her a little. She'd always known that House felt things deeply but he'd rarely let her into that part of his world. Seeing him like this touched a part of her even as it hurt her.

"Ok," she said finally. "Ok. I'm tired. I'm going to check on Rachel and then I'm going to bed."

House was shocked. She wasn't fighting him anymore and she hadn't kicked him out or even told him he was sleeping on the couch. He limped his way to their bedroom and crawled into bed. He could hear her in the bathroom preparing for bed and he watched through slitted eyes as she stood in the doorway looking at him before turning off the light. He felt her slide in and turn her back to him

"Night."

"Night, House." Through the tension in her voice House knew that their discussion wasn't done but he was grateful he got a reprieve for the night. And that she still let him share her bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I know its taken a bit longer than usual for me to update but some personal stuff came up. Thank you all for your patience. Anyway on to the story!

The next morning House awoke to an empty bed and the smell of coffee. He could hear Cuddy talking to Rachel through the baby monitor. He relished the smooth, happy sounds of her voice as he lay back to listen to them. Rachel was laughing about something when he finally decided to get out of bed. Between his patient and Anna's accident, the last few day had left him drained and his leg was screaming at him. He dry swallowed a few ibuprofen and hauled his body up to a sitting position.

He knew that today was not going to be easy. Cuddy would want to talk and he wasn't sure he could give her any answers that would satisfy her. And then there was Anna. He wasn't sure what to say to her either. She was the light in his life and he had tried for so long to shield her from the darkness that seemed to touch every other aspect of his life, but now that she was here he couldn't keep her away from the sometimes ugly realities of his life.

He jumped when he felt Cuddy touch his arm. Her eyes were sad as she looked down at him but he could see the effort she was making to keep it all inside. "Hey," she said. "I made pancakes. You want some?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna shower first...thanks." He was so unused to saying it the word almost stuck in his throat. Now, today, was the time he knew he had to make a serious effort with Cuddy. She smiled softly back at him and turned to go back to the kitchen he spoke. "I want you to meet her."

"What?" She thought she must have heard wrong. It was so unlike House to volunteer anything. She was sure that she was going to have to push him to let her meet Anna.

"You heard me," he said getting up and heading to the bathroom to start the shower.

"You want me to meet Anna? What happened to last night? What happened to keeping her separate from this part of your life?" Her incredulity seeped into her voice almost making her sound sarcastic.

House turned the shower on, letting the water heat before her turned to answer her. "Its too late to go back now. You wanted this so its going to happen."

"But you don't want it to happen. House, what's really going on?" She watched him trying to figure out what made him change his mind as he stripped his pajamas off slowly, almost seductively. She knew he was trying to distract her, make her forget she had questions by offering his body and she was finding it hard to resist.

"Can's open, worms everywhere. You're getting what you want. Stop crying about it." With that he slid the shower door shut.

HHHHHHHHHH

Two hours later Dr Lisa Cuddy was standing outside the closed door to Anna's room. House stood next to her, the fingers of his left hand barely brushing against hers. She smiled nervously at him, his hand resting on the door handle. She ducked inside almost timidly and he would have mocked her for it but he too had his trepidations.

The scene that greeted them wasn't something Cuddy was expecting. Anna was sitting upright in the bed, her broken leg suspended in traction, bruises and cuts marring her face, and wearing the biggest smile Cuddy had ever seen.

"Daddy! I'm glad you're here, I'm bored and I need someone to entertain me." Cuddy smiled at the genuine enthusiasm in Anna's voice. Anna seemed to notice Cuddy then. Still smiling, her voice became somewhat conspiratorial. "Did you bring me a minion from the underworld to entertain and delight me?"

House grinned back at her, his affection and pride showing in his face. "I don't know if she will delight you but you got the underworld part right. Anna this is Lisa Cuddy. She's the Dean of Medicine here and my...girlfriend."

Cuddy rolled her eyes at House's seventh grade definition of their relationship and in doing so missed the expression crossing Anna's face. "Its nice to meet you," Cuddy offered a little unsure of the protocol.

"Its nice to finally meet you too," Anna said. Her brilliant blue eyes caught Cuddy's and her smile got even bigger. "I can't believe that the first time I get to meet you is from a hospital bed. I'd kinda hoped to at least get a fancy I-wanna-impress-my-boyfriend's-kid dinner out you first."

Cuddy tried hard not to let her smile fade but Anna could feel that something was wrong. She turned to her father with a questioning gaze but House being House turned his attention elsewhere. "So, kid, where's the boy toy?"

Anna sensing the shift in mood went along with it. "He's out getting me coffee. The stuff here sucks. No offense," she said to Cuddy.

"None taken. I'd love to stay but I've got a hospital to run. Maybe we can get to know each other later?"

Anna smiled at her again. "I'd like that. You know where I'll be."

Cuddy nodded and left the room as fast as she gracefully could. She was overwhelmed by the knowledge that he'd talked to Anna about her, about their life together. If he'd shared that with his kid than perhaps he hadn't been planning on keeping her a secret forever. That thought comforted her more than she expected it to. In his own backwards, completely inappropriate way, maybe House was finally growing up enough to have a real relationship with a solid foundation of trust and communication.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry to keep all of you waiting. I've had a bad bout with my carpel tunnel that's kept me from doing much on the computer lately. **

**Also, did everyone hear the news about Lisa Edelstein? I am not sure the show will have the same dynamic that keeps us all riveted without her. So sad! Anyway, sorry about the short chapter. I will try and get a longer one up soon! **

**As always, I want to thank all of you who review! You are too kind. I would appreciate any suggestions about where y'all want this story to go.**

When Cuddy finally worked up the courage to visit Anna again it was almost the end of the day. House had caught a case and it was keeping his attention for the moment. She'd also been keeping discreet tabs on Anna's boyfriend, hoping to catch her for a few moments alone.

Cuddy could see that Anna was asleep as she neared her room. She stopped just outside the window to observe her. She already knew that the girl had House's piercing blue eyes but she was curious about what else of House she carried within her. Studying her face in the unencumbered relaxation of sleep, Cuddy could see House's high, sharp cheekbones, long oval face, and lean runner's body but very little else. She had very long red hair and a gentle sloping nose but mostly she noticed that Anna had a softness, a kind of innocence that House had never had, even before the infarction. Lost in thought, Cuddy failed to notice that Anna had woken and was now grinning at her.

"Like what you see? Its gonna cost ya," Anna said diverting Cuddy's attention.

Cuddy smiled almost nervously. Anna was so much like House. "How much?"

"Depends on what you're looking for." Anna smiled and Cuddy took that as enough of an invitation to fully enter into room. "So my dad tells me that he never told you about me. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions"

Cuddy was a little taken aback by the blunt statement but this was House's kid. She was sure that surprises would be the norm. "You probably have a lot of questions for me too," Cuddy replied.

"Just one," Anna said looking her in the eye. "Do you love my dad?"

"Yes, I do." The question surprised her so much that she couldn't help but answer it without thought.

Anna seemed satisfied by it though because a grin broke over her face. "Good. That's all I really needed to know. Anything else is just frosting."

"You really are his kid aren't you?" Cuddy laughed.

Anna smiled and just like that the ice was broken.

HHHHHHHHHH

It was nearing six before Anna's boyfriend came back. He was a tall, dark haired, green-eyed man in his mid twenties. Anna introduced him with stars in her eyes

as Owen. When he smiled Cuddy could see deep dimples in his cheeks that gave him an almost boyish charm. The three of them chatted for a while longer before Cuddy excused herself to go get Rachel.

On the drive back to her house, Cuddy couldn't help but think about the surprises the day had brought her. She certainly was not expecting House to be as accommodating of her demands as he had been and meeting Anna and her boyfriend had gone much smoother than she thought possible. Anna was also a surprise. She was charming and funny and wry and so like House and yet so unlike him too that Cuddy couldn't help liking her. Anna seemed to embody all the best of House with none of the personal demons that haunted him. As she pulled into her driveway Cuddy made the decision that whatever mistakes House had made in keeping her in the dark about his daughter and however hurt she had been by that, she would have to find a way to let it all go.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello all! I want to apologize for how horribly long its been since I updated. Life just seems to get away from me sometimes. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and if any of you have suggestion or ideas about where you would like to see this story go please message me and/or review! Thanks!**

When House got home that night he found Cuddy curled up on the couch reading to Rachel. He paused in the doorway watching them. He had never been the overly sentimental type but he had to admit watching them there together touched a part of him that he didn't know he had. It gave him a sense of home and family that had been sorely lacking during his childhood. Even his relationship with Anna hadn't given him the same feeling, perhaps because he never had a home with her or maybe he was just at a different place in his life but either way he found himself enjoying the feeling.

Just then Cuddy caught sight of him in the doorway. She had a soft smile on her face as she whispered to Rachel and the little girl turned around too. Rachel's eyes lit up when she saw him, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"Hows!," she called clearly excited to see him.

"Hey kid, you have a good day today?" he asked as Rachel hurtled herself at him, hugging his shins.

"Uh huh. Maira took me to 'Scovery Center and I sawed all the dinosaurs! And I drawed this for you!" she exclaimed

For the first time House noticed that Rachel had a paper in her hand. He took the proffered drawing and looked at it. Rachel had draw what was essentially a human shaped blob holding a stick out at the dinosaur printed on the page. Rachel had colored the dinosaur purple and there were two smaller people shapes behind the central figure.

"Good job, kid," he said smiling down at her.

"Thanks! Maira said that its a T Rex. And that's you an' me an' Mommy and you are 'tecting us from the dinosaur." Rachel's small face looked up at him with her bright shining eyes and House, the bitter, tired, former drug addict, felt his heart melt a little.

"Thanks, Rach," he said trying desperately not to look at Cuddy, knowing she would be all teary eyed.

Rachel smiled, her small face suffused with pleasure at House's compliments. "Can we put it up in your office?"

House hesitated just a moment before glancing at Cuddy. He could see her smile beginning to waver just a little and he did not want to disappoint her. He looked back a Rachel's expectant face. "Sure. If you want to."

"Yay! I'm gonna draw you lots more!" Rachel said before shoving the paper into House's hand and running off to her room.

Cuddy gave House a suspicious look as her plopped himself down next to her on the couch. "That was nice of you."

House looked at her and smiled. "Does it get me sex?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I am not giving you sex for being nice to a child. There is something so wrong with that."

"Will you give me sex anyway?" House asked giving her his best fake sad eyes and laying his head down on her lap.

"House..."

They sat there for a few minutes, Cuddy stroking his hair gently, House hugging her legs. They could hear Rachel in the next room quietly talking to herself. It was House who broke the silence. "Anna said you came by and talked to before you left."

"Yeah, I did," she said quietly. "She's amazing, House."

"Yes, she is." He paused for a moment and then said so quietly that Cuddy almost didn't hear him, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Cuddy said just as softly, still running her finger through his hair. It meant a lot to her that House actually verbalized his feeling. He had never been one for that and even less into apologizing for anything, mostly because he was usually right.

"Anna is going to be released from the hospital soon," House said, his voice low and serious. "I was thinking that maybe she could stay with us for a little bit. Her apartment in New York is a fourth floor walk up and she's going to need a some time to get used to the cast and stuff."

Cuddy was shocked. House almost sounded like he was asking for permission, which in and of itself was bizarre, but he also seemed just a little nervous. She found it endearing, but having his grown daughter move in with them, even for a few weeks was not something to be taken lightly.

"House, have you talked to Anna about his?" Cuddy asked. She was in for another shock.

"No. I wanted to talk to you about it first." He looked up at her then, his eyes shining with unfamiliar uncertainty.

"I think we should talk to her about this tomorrow. She may not even want to come," she said.

House looked at her closely again, not quite trusting her response. He knew that Cuddy wanted to get to know Anna better but she had been so upset with him for keeping her a secret that he had expected at least a little bit of a fight or at least more of a discussion.

"Ok," he said skeptically, not taking his eyes off her.

Cuddy smiled at him, seeming to read his thought. "House, it really is ok. I am not thrilled about how all of this came out but what's done is done. I really want to get to know Anna and this could be a great opportunity for all of us."

"Alright," he finally agreed.

Rachel chose that moment to come bounding back in the room eager to show off her new drawings. Thus they spent the rest of the night in what an earlier, more bitter House would have sneeringly called "domestic bliss".

Later that night, when their carnal desires had been satisfied...repeatedly, House spooned himself tightly behind Cuddy as she drifted off to sleep. For the first time in a very long time he found himself oddly at peace.


End file.
